noobie.

[midorionna.livejournal.com]

hello somervillians-

i will be moving right near davis square in approximately two weeks, and i have a few questions:

what is your favorite sushi restaurant in the area?

are there any non-permit parking areas in close proximity (i will have out of state plates and need to change them to get somerville parking after i move)?

what is the most prevalent bank in the area (i'll need to switch that too)?

what, in your opinion, is the best thing about living near davis square?

Comments

[cutieperson]

sushi - Bluefin in Porter Exchange. it's not the best quality-wise, but it's decent and inexpensive.

there are some streets with non-permit parking between Morrison & Kidder.

Diesel Cafe is one of my favorite things about living in Davis. YMMV.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Second the recommendation for Bluefin. Also try Yoshi's on College Ave. just off of Powderhouse Sq.

Call the Somerville police (or maybe it's the traffic office?) to find out what to do about temporary parking with your out of state plates until you can get them changed over.

"Most prevalent bank in the area" is either Bank of America (nee Fleet) or Citizens. They both suck. I used to bank at the dear departed US Trust before they got gobbled by Citizens; when I saw the new fee schedule, I bolted. Lots of my friends bank at Wainwright (branch in Davis Sq., across from Diesel) and recommend them. I personally bank at a credit union.

[simply-juniper.livejournal.com]

I second Yoshi's.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Yoshi's has the worst service, EVER. The last time I went it took forever to get served and never got any more drinks for the entire, multiple hour meal. Who has time for that?

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Wow, I've never experienced anything like that. Not saying you didn't, but maybe they were just having an off night?

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Dunno. It happened a couple times to me, then a third to my best friend, and then we decided it was worth getting in the car for sushi. It's terribly unfair. I want to uproot Tsunami from Brookline and bring it HERE, I'm sure it would be appreciated.

[midorionna.livejournal.com]

thanks- i'll give them a call. maybe i won't have to rent a space for a month :)

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Somerville PD tends to be reasonable about that kinda stuff. One thing IMO that Somerville does better than a few other places in the Boston area. Cambridge in particular is nasty about parking enforcement, but they've had 100 years of being a college/young person's town with too many cars. Somerville--except for the area right around Tufts--has only been like that for maybe a decade, and they're still getting used to it. :-)

[unferth.livejournal.com]

You want the Somerville Traffic and Parking office:
http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/Department.cfm?orgunit=TRAFFIC

(617) 625-6600 ext. 7900

Hours: Monday thru Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Wednesday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

When I moved to Somerville they were very helpful, giving me an official 'grace period' over the phone until all the paperwork got finalized. My car was ticketed during the grace period, but they were able to remove the tickets when I visited the office to get my resident permit. My car was already registered in MA, though, and it's always possible that mattered. This was a couple of years back, and the situation might have changed, but it's definitely worth asking.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_meej_/]

That wouldn't have mattered (the MA thing), as I had the same situation coming in with NY plates.

I *think* the official grace period that they let you work under is 7 days, but it might be longer than that.

[midorionna.livejournal.com]

i just called the parking office and they said the grace period is currently 2 weeks. that should be long enough to get my plates, license and sticker if i get on the ball.
thanks!

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

And the even better news is that the Registry of Motor Vehicles doesn't suck. I moved to NM recently and ketchup moves faster than the RMV lines here.

Oh, and I totally agree with Blue Fin. If you want to splurge and explore, try Rokas in between Harvard and Central or Ginzas in Brookline.

[ckd]

Roka has closed.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

ARRRRRRRGHHHHH!!!!


I leave this town for one cruddy year and it starts to fall apart!

[sadotter.livejournal.com]

To offer a counter opinion, if you do not anticipate incurring many fees, Bank of America may be an ok choice. With direct deposit of my paycheck, the only fee I pay is $1.50/month for a checking account & savings account. I can't vouch for customer service; though when they were Fleet, I had a satisfactory experience with taking out a one-year loan.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_meej_/]

Wainwright gets high recommendations from my wife and I for good service and for socially-aware practices - they're particular about investing, etc.

Most important advice for banking, tho, in this area would be to get an account at one of the banks that's on the SUM network - that way, you can do fee-less ATM'ing all over the greater Boston area.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I think that there is no good sushi in Davis, but there is a reasonable amount in Porter Square. I hear Hana sushi on Mass Ave is not bad.

[bublina.livejournal.com]

Hana sushi is excellent! And they even deliver, though they are a bit on the pricier side.

[gilana]

Sushi: Yoshi's, 132 College Ave
Bank: Bank of America is more prevalent, although not necessarily the best.
Best things: The Somerville Theater has cheap movies and also live music. Johnny D's serves a great brunch and has lots more live music.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

hana sushi, which might technically be in cambridge. it's on mass ave a little north of the square.

my end of my street is non-permit, but i don't think i count as being in close proximity - it'll take you about twenty minutes to walk to the square or a short ride on the 88 bus.

most prevalent bank anywhere is bank of america, but there's also the winter hill bank and at least one more i can't remember the name of.... (not so helpful with the banks.)

the diesel cafe and redbones. and the meatballs at mike's.

[protogeek.livejournal.com]

Sushi: Bluefin as previously noted

Parking: If you're going to be *right* in Davis Sq (I lived 1/2 block from the center til a few weeks ago), there are a few metered lots: next to Brooks and down the side street across from Brooks (between Highland and Elm). The lot on the left has business permit parking, which means non-permit from 6pm Fri til 8am Mon. Since I usually left for work before 9am (meters go into effect at 8am) and returned after 6pm I'd just park in the metered spaces overnight and never had a problem. The parking office to get a permit is just outside Davis down Holland. I *think* you can get a parking permit with just a lease, but you might need a utility bill.

Favorite thing about Davis: Antonia's, a great little Italian place in the middle of the square. Really nice atmosphere. Must-tries: veal piccata, saltimbocca, tiramisu.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I've had really bad experiences w/service and incorrect orders at Amelia's... too bad, b/c the food is def. good and affordable.

[protogeek.livejournal.com]

I've never been to Amelia's Kitchen... The place I was talking about is Antonia's, which is on the triangle in the middle of the square. Only a dozen tables or so, some outdoor seating, open kitchen (often with stuff on fire -- in a good way). Service has always been excellent, never had a problem with an order.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

Err.. I meant Antonia's. My bad :-)

[protogeek.livejournal.com]

Ahh. Weird, we've been there a bunch of times (it's "our restaurent") and have never been unhappy there. I guess every place has a bad night.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

The parking's a touchy thing. A lot depends upon where your apartment is located. Is it permit parking only? If so, you will need to switch your registration to MA immediately, because they will not give you a resident parking permit if your car is registered out of state.

If there is no permit required, you get some breathing space. Technically you are still required to switch your registration, but people can and have maintained their out-of-state registration. You will run into a problem if the police catch you or one of your neighbors participates in the 'rat your neighbor out' program and reports you as a scofflaw.

And registering your car means you must have insurance. MA insurance is the 2nd-most expensive in the company, next to NYC. Part of it is because people drive like assholes, part is because of the insurance system itself- rates are set by the state and there is no competition. Ignore all those Geico commercials- they don't apply to MA. The only wiggle room is in the good driver discounts they can offer.

As for Sushi, there's an excellent place up in Teele Square- delicious and reasonable. Can't think of the name, but it's right near where Broadway meets Holland Ave. And I also recommend Redbone's BBQ but warn you- cash only no credit cards, and Anna's for awesome burritos.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Do you mean Tip Top Thai for sushiin Teele Square? There used to be a sushi place there back when, but now it's Tip Top Thai. The sushi there is good and fresh and the Thai curries are delightful.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's the place. I've eaten there quite a few times and the spicy tuna is out of this world.

[dreamgirly19.livejournal.com]

i live eright around the corner from there and i always see it empty.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

yeah, which is weird because the food's pretty good.

then again, Qwan's Kitchen over on Comm Ave isn't ever really hopping either and they have excellent food, but the pizza place a few doors down that has suck-ass pizza is always jammed. Go figure.

[protogeek.livejournal.com]

I heartily second Redbones. A friend of mine was somewhere in Canada, ran into some people from Texas, and mentioned he lived in Somerville. They said "Ooh, where Redbones is?" That's some good BBQ if even folks from Texas love it. Get the BBQ Belt plate, it's about 10 pounds of meat (with beans and cole slaw buried somewhere underneath) for $15 -- I usually take home about 2/3 of it.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've eaten Texas BBQ in Austin and Amarillo, and can say that Redbones matches up quite nicely.

They also have the lunchtime "all you can eat", which is a sampler plate of leftovers from the night before. I think with ice tea and tip it's about $15 as well, and perfect for when the weather turns nippy and a big lunch is needed.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

what, in your opinion, is the best thing about living near davis square?

In my opinion? Because it's absolutely the coolest neighborhood in New England. My opinion, of course. :-)

There's so much that's great. You'll love it here.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

It's not the most prevalent, but there are plenty around and it's in the SUM network, so I recommend Cambridge Savings Bank. I've had an absolutely fantastic experience with them. I definitely do NOT recommend Sovereign, with whom I had a lousy experience.

My favorite thing about Davis is, first and foremost, the fact that there's actually a community "square" where people hang out, which makes it a standout among Boston area "squares." Beyond that I love the Someday Cafe, the Somerville Theatre, and most recently, the sandwiches at Dave's Fresh Pasta.

Also, if you end up looking for a dentist when you move, Dr. Casey Cook at Davis Square Dental is another one of my Davis Square favorites.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

For sushi I usually go to Asai in Belmont Center, which is convenient to Davis if you bike or drive. I used to go to Bluefin (it is, in fact, cheap), but Asai is just so much better that Bluefin tastes crappy to me now, and Asai isn't *that* much more expensive.

Another vote for Wainwright (or any other SUM network bank) and the Diesel. Other good Davis fun: Somerville theater, Sacco's candlepin bowling, Dave's Fresh Pasta, the cucumber ice cream at JP Licks right now (sounds weird but it's amazing), the bike path (though it's under construction at Alewife now), Redbones (meeeeeat), the new indie bookstore at Porter.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

asai is right down the street from my office. one of my coworkers had a bad sushi experience (i think it was the tuna roll) but i really like it.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Yet another vote for Wainwright Bank here! Local, friendly, part of the SUM (fee-free) network, and they have online banking too. Plus their Saturday morning free coffee comes from Diesel. How can you argue with that?

Everything everyone mentioned are reasons I love Davis Square.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Wainwright even has free internet access in the community room.

[turil.livejournal.com]

No opinion on the sushi, I just get the prepackaged stuff from the Harvest Coop deli area.

As for parking, I vote for going carfree. I learned the hard way that having a car in the city is way too much trouble. When I graduated college my parents gave me a car, and it took nearly 5 years of wasted money, headaches, streetsweeping sickets, moving violations, time wasted driving around in circles looking for parking, and worrying about the thing getting stolen or broken into (happend twice) before I figured it out that it was stupid for me to keep it. Transportation is so much easier by T, bike, walking, scooters, etc. On the very rare occasion that I've really needed the hauling capabilities of a really big vehicle or for going out into the boonies, I've rented or used Zipcar.

And finally, the best thing about Davis is the T station. Before the T came to Davis, it was a sad, grubby place with no soul. Now it's got a nice little culture all of it's own. I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the amazing Goodwill store, as a second place favorite. The everpresent manager, Wayne is quite the character. And you can always find something entertaining to buy or just play with for a while...

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Try getting a job out of the city and see how much you need a car though.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Why pay city rents if you have a car and a job in the suburbs? Me, personally, I stay out of the suburbs as much as possible.

My husband, on the other hand, is loathe to give up the suburban job he had since before he met me and moved into Somerville (his boss is really great), so he commutes by commuter rail, bike, and/or electric scooter (about 20 miles on a 5¢ electricity charge).

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I like living here. I work in the suburbs because that's where the job was.

[76trombones.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

And, of course, I'm lucky: I can take a bus to work from Alewife, and I almost always do so.

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

Wainwright bank is good -- socially responsible and part of the SUM network.

Bluefin is good for sushi.

Favorite thing about Davis? You can be on a nice, quiet residential street and then walk a few minutes and be where there's tons going on.